CHEESY SAUSAGE CHICKEN ROTINI (SKILLET DINNER)

Ingredients:

1 package sausage links (cut into discs) (about 10 links)

3 thin chicken breasts, cubed

Garlic herb Mrs. Dash, to taste

1 garlic bulb, peeled, chopped

3 tablespoons garlic olive oil, or olive oil

1 (12 oz.) package vegetable rotini pasta (plus 1 teaspoon salt)

3 tablespoons lemon juice

½ cup parmesan cheese

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1 cup Colby jack cheese

Directions:

Add 1 teaspoon salt to 4 cups water and boil for the pasta.  Peel and chop the garlic.  In a small sauté pan, add the garlic olive oil and the garlic.  Cook on High until the garlic is roasted.  Remove from heat.  Set aside.  Begin boiling pasta.   In a large sautteuse pan cook the sausage discs until it is brown and crispy.  Remove from pan and add to the garlic that has been set aside.  Add the cubed chicken to the pan (cook in the sausage grease) and season to taste with the Mrs. Dash.  Cook just until no longer pink in the middle.  (Drain boiled pasta).  Turn heat to low and  Add the garlic, sausage, lemon juice and rotini to the chicken in the large sauttuese pan.  Mix together.  Add the cheeses and mix until melted.  Serve  warm with broccoli or peas.

CREAMY GARLIC HERB BUTTER SAUCE WITH SEASONED CHICKEN AND BOW TIE PASTA

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz.) package Bow Tie Pasta (I use the Vegetable Pasta)

4 thin boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

Mrs. Dash

Peppercorn Medley

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

4 teaspoons olive oil, or garlic olive oil

Ingredients for Creamy Butter Garlic Herb Sauce:

3/4 cup butter, melted

6 tablespoons heavy cream, warmed

½ teaspoon Garlic Herb Mrs. Dash

½ teaspoon Garlic Pepper  (I used Bill Baron’s Savory Secrets Garlic & Pepper Secret #6)

1 shake Peppercorn Medley (for butter sauce)

Top with shredded Parmesan and/or mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Boil water for pasta, adding about 1 teaspoon salt and a drop of olive oil.  Peel and chop garlic.  Place chopped garlic and olive oil in a sauté pan.  Cook on medium heat until toasted.  Set aside.  Add pasta to boiling water.  Boil according to package directions.   In a large sauteusse pan, add chicken and season generously with garlic herb Mrs. Dash and Cracked peppercorn medley.  Cook on Medium High heat just until done and no longer pink in the middle.  Meanwhile melt the butter and warm the heavy whipping cream (about 15 seconds in microwave).  To the creamy butter sauce, Mix in the seasonings with a whisk and whisk until well blended.  Drain pasta.  Now combine all the components (pasta, toasted garlic and creamy butter sauce) into your large sauteusse pan.  Mix well over low heat for about 2 minutes – just to be sure it is hot all the way through.  Top with shredded Parmesan and/or mozzarella cheese.

Ingredients

Chopped Garlic in olive oil

Toasted Garlic

Creamy Garlic Herb Butter Sauce

Cubed Chicken

Mixing it together

All Mixed

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN PARMESAN AND PENNE PASTA

Ingredients:

3 tbsp olive oil (I used garlic olive oil)

7 - 8 cloves garlic, chopped

1 (12 oz.) box Penne Pasta (I use the veggie penne) Boil for only 4 minutes

½ teaspoon salt

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts – cooked (baked, boiled, etc,) (or rotisserie chicken breasts)

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

2 (24 oz.) marinara sauce (I use 1 jar of Bertolli 5 Cheese Marinara Sauce)

1 teaspoon onion herb Mrs. Dash seasoning or Italian seasoning

2 cups mozzarella shredded (I use low fat 2% milk fat cheese)

4 oz. Parmesan Grated or shredded

1 (5 oz.) bag croutons

Directions:

Line your slow cooker with slow cooker liners.

Peel about 7 garlic cloves and chop them into tiny pieces.

Add the garlic and olive oil to a sauteuse pan.  On medium heat, stir and cook until the garlic begins to be toasted.  Set aside

Boil water with ½ teaspoon salt.  Once a rapid boil is reached, add the box of penne.  Boil for 4 minutes, then remove from heat and drain.  Toss with half of the toasted garlic and olive oil that was set aside.

Chop two of the chicken breasts into tiny pieces (I use a food chopper)

In a large mixing bowl add the penne, the marinara, 1 teaspoon onion herb Mrs. Dash seasoning, and ½ cup shredded Parmesan.  Mix well.

Pour half of the pasta mixture into the slow cooker.  Place the remaining 2 chicken breasts on the bed of penne.  Top chicken and pasta with 1 cup ½  cup parmesan and 1 cup mozzarella.  Pour the remaining pasta mixture over chicken.  Top with ¼ cup parmesan.

Slow Cook on LOW for 4 hours.

About ½ hour before serving, top with the croutons and sprinkle croutons with any remaining cheese.  Once the cheese is melted, remove the lid until it is only partly covering the crock.

Ingredients

Chopped Chicken

Chopped Garlic

Toasted Garlic

Firm Boiled Penne tossed in Garlic Olive Oil

Toasted Garlic and Olive Oil on bottom of lined crock pot

Mixing Pasta, Chicken, Cheese, Sauce

All Mixed Up

Layering Chicken

Cheese on Chicken

Ready to slow Cook

Ready to top with croutons

Croutons

Cheese topped croutons

Lid Askew

Ready to Serve

Tasty Chicken, Vegetable and Pasta Casserole

Tasty Chicken, Vegetable  and Noodle Casserole served with steamed asparagus and fresh berries.

Right out of the oven

Ingredients:

1 package pasta (I like to use vegetable bow tie or multi grain pasta)

2 tablespoons butter

½ - 1-cup fresh sliced mushrooms (finely sliced or put through the electric food chopper)

½ cup chopped sweet bell pepper (put through the electric food chopper)

1 small onion chopped (finely chopped – put through the electric chopper)

2 boiled skinless, boneless chicken breasts  put through the electric chopper  OR 2 cans tuna(drained)

2 tablespoons flour (whole wheat pastry flour works, too)

½ tsp. salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup milk

32 oz.  [2 (16 oz.) containers] cottage cheese (low fat or 4% fat)

½ cup to 1 cup shredded cheddar/jack cheese (to cover the top of the casserole)

Directions:

Cook Noodles – Drain Noodles – Set aside

Boil chicken if using chicken.  Put the chicken through the electric chopper or cut into very small pieces. Set aside

In a large sauce pan, melt butter

Add the sweet peppers and onion and sauté in the butter, then add the mushrooms and let them sauté a bit –

Blend in flour and seasonings – stir until the flour is absorbed

Gradually add the 1 cup of milk.  Stir continuously.

Cook until thickened – (Be prepared, It may take a long time)

Add tuna or chicken, cottage cheese and noodles

Mix all ingredients together and then pour it into a 9” x 13” Pyrex dish

Add shredded cheese to the top – Cover with aluminum foil

Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes in a 9”x 13” Pyrex dish

Sweet Peppers, Onion, Mushrooms, Flour, Spices, and Milk 

Chicken, Boiled and Finely Chopped

Adding the Cottage Cheese

Cottage Cheese Mixed In

Adding the Chicken

Chicken Mixed In

Adding the Pasta

Everything Mixed In and in the Casserole Pan

Grated Cheese On Top

Right Out of the Oven

Served with Steam Asparagus and Fresh Berries

Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken, 

Alfredo Sauce, 

Grilled Asparagus, and 

Lemon, Garlic & Spinach Linguini and Angel Hair Pasta

Basically a Gourmet Meal – quick and easy – less than an hour of cook time

I made this meal for my husband tonight  - we have been married for 8 and a half years now.  He said, "This is the best meal you have ever made."  He loved it and he has very discriminating taste!

Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts – cleaned and trimmed

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

3 Tablespoons Lemon Pepper Seasoning

1 ziploc gallon size freezer bag

Four hours before grilling, mix the olive oil, lemon juice, and lemon pepper seasoning in a gallon size Ziploc freezer bag.  Add the chicken and cover with the seasonings.  Place in the refrigerator for 4 hours.

Remove from refrigerator, place on grill and grill chicken for approximately 15 minutes, turning every 5 minutes.

Grilled Asparagus

1 bunch of asparagus – cut and trimmed

3 Tablespoons butter, melted

Coarse sea salt, to taste

Steam asparagus for 7 – 10 minutes.  Remove from steamer.  Place on grill and brush the melted butter over the spears.  Shake the sea salt on the asparagus.  Cook for 7 –10 minutes or until they reach the desired tenderness.

Alfredo Sauce (recipe from the Roof Restaurant)

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 tablespoon diced onion (I eliminated the onion)

½ teaspoon chopped garlic

1 cup heavy cream (I used 1 ¾ cup heavy cream)

1 cup whole milk (I used ¼ cup 2% milk)

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used about a cup)

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon white pepper (I used double that – season to taste)

1 – 2 tablespoons cornstarch (if needed)

In a small saucepan, melt butter and (sauté onions – if desired) and garlic for 3 minutes.  Add cream and milk.  Stir with a whisk and slowly add parmesan cheese once the cream and milk begin to bubble.  Keep stirring until cheese is melted.  Add salt and white pepper.  Makes 2 cups.

Lemon, Garlic & Spinach Linguini and Angel Hair Pastas– serves 4

Adapted From: http://www.inomthings.com/?p=1756

4 oz dry linguini

4 oz. dry cappellini  (angel hair pasta)

1/2 cup grated parmesan

4 tsp olive oil (or 2 tsp olive oil and 2 tsp. GARLIC OLIVE OIL)

4 cloves garlic

1 lemon - both the juice and the zest

4 tbsp pine nuts

10 - 12 basil leaves, chiffonaded

Coarse Black Pepper

First, start your garlic oil. Pour in olive oil and chopped up garlic into a small frying pan and let it cook over low, until the garlic starts to brown on edges. Immediately remove from heat and reserve.  

Zest the Lemon and then juice it.  set aside.

While that’s starting up, boil up the pastas in separate pans.

Chiffonade some basil leaves. Fresh is best.

Then you take some cheese…

And dump it into a large bowl, with the garlic oil, garlic chunks and all. Squeeze in lemon juice. Throw in the pastas and toss until well combined. Plate and crack some black pepper on it.

Crock Pot Chicken and Rice Medley with Pomegranate

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts

½ of a finely diced medium onion

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ cup wild rice

1 bag of success white rice (1 cup white rice)

¾ cup brown rice medley

1 ¾ cups hot water*

1 ½ cups pomegranate juice*

¼ teaspoon bouillon paste or granules

Salt, to taste

cracked pepper, to taste

Pine Nuts, toasted**

4- 6 slices bacon – (pre-cooked) and cut into medium pieces

Craisins, pomegranate juice infused

Note - do not omit the bacon or the toasted pine nuts. Those flavors really make this dish sing.

Directions:

Line your crock pot with a slow cooker liner (basically a large plastic bag). Brush the bottom of the lined slow cooker pot with the olive oil. Put the chicken breast in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the garlic. Add the diced onion. Add the hot water, and pomegranate juice. Add the rices. *Be sure to add enough water to soften rice, but not too much – as the chicken cooks, it will add juices. Cook for 2 ½ (if on High) to 4 hours (if on low) or until chicken is completely cooked and rice is tender. Add toasted pine nuts and bacon pieces 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with Craisins, if desired

**To toast the pine nuts – Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place pinenuts in a single layer on a baking pan and place in preheated oven. Check every 3 minutes and stir. Remove from oven when they are roasted nicely (about 6 minutes).